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Playing Games

Adults playing games from the childhood used to be a normal thing in India when I was growing up. They taught us kids to play them and played along with us - there was no stigma attached to it. Games that did not require physical strength was the reserve of the elderly and a way for them to bond with grandkids. We had a set very silly board games at my grandmother's house and it was tradition to bring them out after dinner. Any child could be taught the rules for these games in five minutes and then you played. These were the same games she had played as a child. I don't think there was ever a time when she was too old to play them. It is interesting to read that being a kidult is now being called a new trend and something toy-makers are wising upto. Grandmother was a kidutt by such definition but she was just going about it very naturally, no one thought twice about her having a stash of silly board games meant for very young kids.

..adults are buying Lego and collectibles for their "positive mental health benefits as they spark nostalgia and bring escapism from global turmoil", said Melissa Symonds, executive director of UK toys at Circana.

I am not sure if she had been seeking escape from global turmoil or even had awareness of such. Her concerns tended to be hyper-local. If the vegetable vendor she preferred would have green jackfruit during my stay at her home because it was my favorite, if the guy who traded old newspapers for steel utensils would give her the big pot she had her eye on for three months worth of old newspapers. I am pretty sure the machinations of the ruling party in Delhi meant nothing to her, much less the winds of change blowing through the Eastern Bloc back in those times. There was likely mental health benefits from bonding with grand kids through play - she was always happy to set up the games for us to play and we looked forward to that time. The fact that I remember to this day attest to their positive benefits for me. 

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